Reporting on LDAP Information with MySQL and Linux

Problem

I need to quickly generate a report on GroupWise or other LDAP information. For example, I might need to answer questions such as "How many users are in this Post Office?" Or, "How many users have a homespace on that server?"

Solution

Convert parts of your eDirectory information into a MySQL database. Once the information is in the DB, you can run reports, scripts ... virtually anything you want with this data. I have even used this data to create some NCF files that I've used to migrate GWise archives from various homespace servers to one central server. Your options are limitless with what you can do, once you have this information in MySQL.

I use this in two ways:

1. Via a nightly cron job that runs with just a single parameter for searching the whole tree.

2. Every now and then, to make sure a single user has updated information in the DB.